I-Corps: Translation Potential of Safe Biomedical Perfusion Technologies

The broader impact of this I-Corps project is the development of a safety control system for biomedical perfusion applications. Perfusion involves the circulation of an external fluid through a body compartment, often using surgically inserted catheters. Currently, multiple safety risks exist during perfusion procedures, including the risk of blood flow occlusion during high-pressure perfusion as well as the risk of tissue damage resulting from high perfusion and/or drainage flowrates.

Many existing and emerging biomedical applications involve the use of perfusion, especially through the abdominal cavity. These applications include peritoneal dialysis, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), and peritoneal oxygenation. This technology is designed to address the safety risks, which may have the potential to improve the safety of biomedical perfusion and potentially improve patients’ outcomes.

This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of a control algorithm for the safe perfusion of oxygenated perfluorocarbons through the peritoneal cavity. Perfusion plays a critical role in both existing life-saving biomedical interventions (such as peritoneal dialysis, hyperthermic intra-peritoneal chemotherapy, and extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation) as well as emerging interventions (such as peritoneal oxygenation).

This technology utilizes perfusion flowrate, pressure, and volume sensors to estimate and manage multiple perfusion safety hazards simultaneously. These technologies were developed as an emerging medical intervention where oxygen-rich liquids are perfused through patients’ abdomens to enable oxygen transport into the bloodstream via diffusion. This technology has the potential to allow the abdomen to serve as a “third lung”, particularly for patients with respiratory failure due to ailments such as COVID-19.

The solution will improve the safety during peritoneal oxygenation and more broadly during any biomedical perfusion application.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.